Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes

Today's recipe is one I have done in the past and is one of my all-time favorites.  The flavor in these cupcakes is unbelievable!  I first made them for my family back in Pennsylvania when we went to visit in September.  They had always seen pictures of things I made, but had never had a chance to try it.  I decided to make them something special when I cam home. 

I had just found this recipe from the blog Hoosier Homemade just before going back to PA.  I had chosen this particular recipe because I vaguely remember my mom loving chocolate covered cherries and these incorporates all that and then some. 

My first round making them was a little rocky, but they turned out well. The second go round, what this blog is all about, was much easier.  I learned from my mistakes from before and have new ideas lined up for next time I make these.  I live by the thought that everything can be improved in some way.  Nothing in life is perfect and that's how it should be.

I was asked by a colleague to make these for her birthday potluck. Since I can very rarely take in cupcakes to work since everyone is on a diet, I jumped on the idea :)

I do have to say that after making the White Chocolate Easter Basket, these were a piece of cake :)

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes

Ingredients for the cupcakes
1 box cake mix - I used butter flavor
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup oil
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
1 can cherry pie filling

Mix cake mix with pudding, buttermilk, eggs and oil with a blender. 

Once blended, fold in cherry pie filling.

Divide batter into cupcake liners.  I used a 1/4 measuring cup to fill each one.  It made 30 cupackes.

Place in oven at temperature and time as notated on your cake mix box. Once cupackes are done, let me sit in the pan for 10 min and then transfer from pan to cooling rack. They will sink a little in the middle as they cool, it's normal do to the cherry pie filling in them.

Ingredients for Ganche
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Place chocolate chips in a bowl and cream in a pan to boil.  Watch the pan closely so the cream doesn't boil over.  Once it gets to boil it will rise quickly in the pan. 

Pour cream over chocolate chips.

Stir until well blended and let stand for 5 minutes.

Turn cupcakes upside down and dip in ganache mixture and place in container that you are storing them in. Place in fridge to set.

Ingredients for Cherry Cream Frosting
1 stick butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese
2-3 teaspoons of cherry juice
2-3 cups powdered sugar

Cream together butter and cream cheese.  Then add cherry juice and powdered sugar.  Add as little or as much cherry juice and powdered sugar as you like, it all depends on how thick/thin you would like your frosting.  I used 2 tsps cherry juice and 2 cups powdered sugar.  Pipe frosting on top of each cupcake - I placed mine in a Ziploc bag and cut a hole in the corner and piped it on. 

Ingredients for Chocolate Covered Cherry

Maraschino Cherries w/stems - mine are w/o because I bought the wrong kind

Chocolate wafers for melting

Rinse and pat dry cherries.

Melt chocolate in the microwave on defrost for 30 sec intervals until melted.  Keep a close eye on the chocolate so it doesn't burn.  Dip cherries and place on wax paper to set.  Once set, put one cherry on each cupcake.

Viola!  You now have delicious cupcakes to enjoy, eat quickly becaus they will go fast :)